


A Thief in Distress

by Cody_Guli



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Shin Monshou no Nazo | Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
Genre: Action/Adventure, Cody Guli, Fantasy, Fire Emblem - Freeform, Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem - Freeform, Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem Spoilers, Gen, Original Character Death(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28498812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cody_Guli/pseuds/Cody_Guli
Summary: When Julian suddenly goes missing from the group, it's up to Merric and Kris to find him. Rated T for some language and violence.
Kudos: 2





	A Thief in Distress

**A Thief in Distress**

By Cody Guli

_First and foremost, Happy New Year! While 2020 did have some good moments, I'm honestly glad that it's over. Hopefully 2021 will bring us a better year._

_Second off, I know I haven't posted anything in so long. I've been procrastinating real hard, and that sadboi act from my last fanfic really took the energy out of me (by the way, sorry for that)._

_With the new year here, I'm going to make more of an effort to complete my_ Journal of Renault _series as well as lay the groundwork/get started on my book.  
That last part is an absolute must because I NEED to stop procrastinating and get that going already._

_Otherwise, my main plans for 2021 are to focus more on writing and my job, get more money saved up, and overall have a better year mentally (which may be a little hard)._

_For now, it's time to dive into my first fanfiction of 2021! Thank you to everyone who supports me with views, reviews, favorites, and/or follows! If you're new here, consider doing that as well, or supporting me through social media (links are on my bio on my Linktree URL)!  
Happy New Year, and enjoy the fanfic!_

* * *

Merric strolled around camp, taking a head count of everyone still with the group to make sure everyone was still alive and accounted for. The group was not far removed from the harsh journey through Anri's Way, and most if not all were still recuperating from the onslaught of blazing heat and devastating cold that they faced. Marth had instructed that the next destination for the group was a temple not far from their current location, a temple that the Mamukete Princess, Tiki, was rumored to be hidden in.

As Merric concluded his counting, he noticed something was off. One person had been missing from the group: the thief Julian. Merric quickly ran through the whole count in his head again, making sure he counted everyone and asking others if they had seen Julian anywhere. No one had since they first woke up that morning. Just then, Kris had returned from scouting ahead and was prepared to speak to Merric, but the mage quickly intervened before a word was said.  
"Kris, have you seen Julian come or go at any point today?" Merric spluttered nervously.

"Err, no. I haven't," Kris replied innocently. "Merric, is everything alright? You're shaking in a way I've never seen before."

"You didn't see him going to the temple?"

"No. Merric what is-"

"We have to report this to Lord Marth immediately."

"Merric, what's going on?"

There was no answer. Merric grabbed Kris by the arm and quickly ran towards Marth's tent. The Altean prince was in the middle of studying his battle strategy for the fight ahead when both of them barged in, forcing Marth to look up from his map in confusion and annoyance. After taking a second to catch his breath, Merric spoke.

"Forgive me sire," he panted, "but I believe we are missing a soldier. The thief, Julian."

Marth turned to face Kris. "And do you know of his whereabouts, Kris?" Kris could only shake his head. "Knowing him, he has mostly likely gone off on one of his looting sprees. Pray that he hasn't gone ahead to the temple."

"I already took the liberty of checking around there, sire," Kris replied. "He was not seen around there."

Just then, one of the guards entered holding something rather familiar to the three of them: Julian's scarf. Small drops of blood were stained on it.

"Sire!" the guard boomed. "I was on my patrol and found the thief Julian making his way towards an abandoned shrine. I followed him in, but something attacked him and he dropped this. It is believed to be Julian's scarf-"

"Yes, yes, I'm aware of what it is," Marth cut in. "Do you know where this shrine is?"

"Yessir. It's due 40 degrees northwest from our current location. What are your orders, sire?"

What the hell is he doing, Marth thought shaking his head. Julian had been known to go off on his little adventures, plundering nearby caves and ruins whenever he could get a chance. But at a time like this? And for him to get caught? It wasn't acceptable. Marth sighed in defeat and disgust, unable to accept the idea that Julian might have walked into his own death.

"Sire, if I may," Merric interrupted. "If you would allow Kris and I to follow Julian's trail and infiltrate this abandoned shrine, we may still have a chance to rescue him."

"No," Marth sighed. "I can't allow my friends to risk themselves against an unknown enemy. For all we know, Mamuketes, or something worse, could have taken Julian."

"All the more reason to go find him, milord," Kris added. "Fret not. Merric and I will be able to return him safely. I can promise you that."

Marth sighed again. "Kris…just be careful, the both of you. Guard, show these two where you last found Julian. Ensure they rescue him safely."

"Yessir!" the guard boomed, giving a quick salute before leading the two mages out into the bitter cold. Marth could only sit back and put his face in his hands, upset with this unwanted distraction.

* * *

Soon, the three arrived at the entrance of the abandoned shrine. The stone had been severely worn by years of frost and snow, but still stood tall on its feeble legs. The trail marked by Julian's boots had ended at this point, and from here it would be a guessing game as to how far he went inside. The guard agreed to stand outside and keep watch, and both Merric and Kris cautiously stepped into the ruins. The inside was just as cold and damp as the weather outside, with patches of ice trickling around the walls and the fallen stone. Icicles hung from the ceiling dangerously, ready to fall at the slightest movement or sound. The statue at the back had fallen over, and behind it was a stairway heading down. Merric gestured to Kris to move cautiously, and the two tiptoed towards the stairwell. They made sure to be extra careful about the sea of icicles above them, which hummed and jiggled softly. They were both very cautious about one especially large one in the middle.

Once they made it to the staircase, Merric made a shocking discovery. "Blood," he whispered. "There must have been a scuffle here."

Kris pointed to the staircase. "It leads down. Do you suppose we should follow it?"

"We haven't a choice."

Kris nodded and slowly made his way down the stairs, which were slippery. He prepared his Fire tome to melt the ice, but Merric stopped him. "We can't give ourselves away," he whispered.

Once they had reached the bottom of the stairs, Merric's worst fears were confirmed. There, standing over Julian's unconscious body, were three cloaked figures snarling and muttering amongst each other. Mamuketes, he thought. He ushered Kris behind cover and looked on as one of the cloaked figures removed his hood, revealing a bald and decrepit head. He spoke in some foreign tongue, a language that Merric could not understand. Soon the other two figures unmasked themselves and reached into their pockets, revealing a strange orange stone. Both mages realized what it was on instant and, without a single thought, Kris quickly casted Fire at one of the mamuketes, killing them. The other two turned towards him and cried out in surprise. "Humans!" he screeched, quickly transforming with his cohort into a Fire Dragon. At that moment, Julian came to his senses but was unable to get a word out before he saw the two Dragons standing over him.

"Whoa!" he cried out, quickly sprinting towards cover. The full force of both Dragons was unleashed as they spat flames from their gaping maws. Merric and Kris quickly retaliated by slinging Excalibur and Thoron spells towards them, but hardly any damage was being done.

"This isn't working," Merric shouted, quickly switching to a Fire spell and casting it at the staircase. With the ice quickly melting, he turned back and cried "Julian, Kris, hurry! Up the stairs!" Julian made his way towards them, but collapsed to his knees and gripped his head. "Gah, my damn head is killing me!" he complained.

"Julian, come on!" Kris called out. Suddenly, he saw the Dragons' heads turn to face Julian and, acting hastily, hurled a Thoron spell towards one of them. A direct hit, one that killed the target and staggered the other. While they were both temporarily disarmed, Kris ran out into the open and helped Julian up the stairs. Just as they made it halfway to the exit, the Dragon burst from downstairs and howled a war cry. The icicles on the ceiling shook and swayed as the Dragon stomped closer to the three of them, but just before it could reach them the giant icicle fell from the ceiling and impaled the dragon through its head. With the threat taken care of, Merric, Kris, and the guard helped Julian back to camp.

* * *

"That was an incredibly risky thing you did in there," Marth barked at Julian. "Whatever were you thinking?" Julian did not reply. He groaned and grabbed his head, which was thundering with pain. "I hope this will serve as a lesson to you, Julian. You will have to sit out the next battle." Marth then turned to Kris and Merric. "As for you two, you did a good job retrieving Julian from those Mamuketes. Thank you."

"It was not easy milord," Kris admitted. "For a second I thought the three of us could have been goners."

"And we would have been too, had it not been for an icicle," Merric added.

Marth chuckled. "An icicle?"

"You could say, sire, that it was a death served cold." There was an awkward silence, and Merric turned away in embarrassment. Marth shook his head and pretended he had not heard that.

* * *

 _And with that, the first fanfiction of 2021 is complete! My next plan is to hopefully start on the next chapter of_ Journal of Renault _soon, and perhaps get a head start on my book either tomorrow or Sunday. As always, if you enjoy my work, consider leaving a review and/or a follow, and have a happy new year!_


End file.
